An Iranian in the Louvre

Visiting the Louvre Museum can be both exotic and exhausting.

My husband, daughter and I visited the Louvre toward the end of our trip. I was already so full of history. Right off the bat, I decided I was only going to see the artwork without bothering to listen to the audio guide. A few minutes later, I was so happy about the decision I made. All the audio guide recorders were sold out. To get one, I had to have booked one a few days in advance.

Since I didn’t want an audio guide, I wasn’t upset about not getting it. However, if you travel to the Louvre, and want to learn about the artwork, make sure to book an audio guide while purchasing your ticket (€17 per adult over 18 years of age).

There are more than 380,000 objects and around 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments at the Musee du Louvre. While museums elsewhere are struggling to regain their pre-pandemic visitors, the Louvre has decided to limit numbers to ensure a tolerable experience.

I was sad to see the ancient Persian Empire sculptures were so far away from home. Yet, I knew they were at least safe at the Louvre.

They now limit the number of people who enter the museum each day to 30,000, which should stabilize attendance to between 7.5 and 8.5 million in 2023.

To be sure if I hadn’t purchased our tickets a few weeks in advance, I would have left Paris without visiting one of the most famous places in the world.

 Roman Charity 

We took the train to go to the Louvre. As we departed the metro, the first artwork I saw was The Roman Charity.

I learned more about the statue two weeks later when I had time to Google and read about the magnificent artwork. But, I had no clue what it was at the time. The statue depicted a man sucking a woman’s nipple. My first reaction was an “AWW” and a big laugh. The night before, my hubby and I were discussing some of the sexual scenes that our teenage daughter may see on Netflix.

The conversation arose when my daughter and I were watching The Diplomat, a political thriller television series. In this particular episode, Kate and her husband have sex. It was a very short and obscured scene. We fast-forwarded it. However, my hubby, who always wanted to protect his daughter from any mishaps, objected to the scene and felt uncomfortable with us watching it.

Yet, there you go, a day later we are in a museum where the first scene we see is a man sucking a woman’s breast.

The Louvre was overwhelming for me. The next time I go to the Louvre, I will arrive early, and I’ll make sure I visit one department before moving on to the next.

I took two steps away and then said, “They both seem so sad. Neither of them seems to enjoy what they do.” Their faces showed sorrow and immense sadness, for the right reason. In the ancient Greek and Roman story of Cimon and Pero, Pero was breastfeeding her imprisoned father who was sentenced to starvation until death. Once caught, the loving devotion Pero showed to her father moved the authorities. They forgave her and released Cimon.

Iran Section at the Louvre

I knew I wanted to see the Antiquity department. I wanted to show my daughter, and see for myself, the glory and triumph of Ancient Iran. We finally arrived at the section after two hours of strolling around the Louvre. As we entered room 229, we walked through the garden of “Gigantic winged bulls with human heads, rise[ing] powerful and serene.” There were about sixty of these bulls, sculpted in only eleven years between 717 and 706 BC. They guarded the gates of the city and the palace of Sargon II in Shiraz in Fars province.

I walked through the ancient stones, mesmerized, and enjoyed their beauty while feeling both happy and sad. I was happy to see these ancient and beautiful monuments in a protected place at the most visited museum in the world.

I was sad to see these ancient treasures are so far away from home. Yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what could have been the fate of these statues and monuments if they were still in Iran. Could they have faced the same fate the 2000-year-old Bamian statues suffered when they were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 as being the idols of the past?

Mona Lisa

Ironically, there were many signs on different corners of the museum, hinting me toward da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. I wasn’t particularly interested in seeing the painting. I was surprised to see the museum’s large emphasis on Mona Lisa. I knew there would be a very large queue in front of the painting. Yet, I couldn’t comprehend why the museum encouraged the crowd to go to the room where the Mona Lisa hung.

When we got there, I was shocked by the size of this painting. There were more than 12 lines of people standing horizontally. It wasn’t worth pushing throw to get close to the Mona Lisa. I gave up completely.

The Louvre was overwhelming for me. The next time I go to the Louvre, I will arrive there as early as I can, trying to make sure that I visit one department before moving on to the next. And I will try to visit all five floors when I’m in a particular department. I will start with Denon Level, which is the most important section, before moving to anywhere else.

Before I go to the Louvre again, I’ll also attempt to explain to my underaged kids that the genitals they see are meant to show strength and beauty; they do not (always) mean sex and obscene features.

The best Surprise

My daughter and I watched the last episode of The Diplomat  after we got back from the Louvre. “Look at these stairs and the hall down here, and try to remember it,” I told her before we left.

On the couch in our hotel room, we watched the scene when the handsome British Foreign Secretary Austin Denison (David Gyasi) gives his one-million-dollar look to the U.S. Ambassador Kate Wryly (Keri Russel) while extending his hand to lead her down the stairs. My daughter rose and started jumping up and down. She was so so so hhhaaappppyyyy to see the same place she was standing just a few hours ago on the TV screen. Her happiness was contagious. I was laughing and dancing with her.

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